Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Gmail’s free Gemini AI integration is almost ready for primetime

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Summary

  • Gemini AI is coming to the Gmail Android app. It’s already available for Workspace users, but was spotted in development for users with standard Gmail accounts.
  • A new Gemini button next to the archive button will allow users to generate reply suggestions and change the tone of responses.
  • It should be possible to type queries to Gemini within Gmail to generate and modify text, but the version seen in development wasn’t capable of advanced tasks like searching and sorting emails.



With Google slowly (and steadily) integrating Gemini into all its services — including YouTube Music just this week — you may be wondering what’s next. The answer is Gmail on Android. While Workspace users have had this feature for a while, it looks like Google will soon expand Gemini to the Gmail Android app.


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The feature is not officially available yet. It’s still under wraps, but AssembleDebug managed to get it working on the Gmail Android app (version 2024.05.19.635289964), giving us a preview of what to expect when it rolls out publicly (via Android Authority). The Gmail app on Android can already generate email summaries using Gemini, but this dedicated button expands the capability to much more.


What can you do with the Gemini button on Gmail for Android?

Source: Android Authority


According to the screenshots shared, when the feature starts rolling out, a new Gemini button will appear next to the archive button on the top bar. Tapping this button will bring up a pop-up chat view where you will be able type in your queries to ask Gemini. They were able to use this feature to generate reply suggestions and even change the tone of a drafted response.

However, just like on the web, you can’t ask it to perform complex tasks. For example, when asked about viewing unread emails within the chat window, Gemini simply explained how to do it rather than showing all the unread emails. Similarly, you can’t add emails to specific labels directly from the chat window.

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This feature will only be limited to Workspace accounts, at least for now, and won’t be available for personal accounts, according to the report. But don’t worry, Google is gradually integrating Gemini into all its services — asking Gemini about your Google Photos to asking it questions about your surroundings with Project Astra — which means Gemini for personal accounts might also be on the horizon.

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